Display-rack.



W. LUTZ. DISPLAY/BACK. APPLICATION man JULY :1. I916.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. LUTZ.

' DISPLAY RACK. APPUCATION mm JULY n. 1816.

ififlfi. Patented Dec}, 1918. I Z SHEETs-SHEET 2- won W1 and strong and adapted to convenientfoldingto occupy small space and facilitate "stormbodying my improvement;

potted "plants.

WALTER LU TZ, or KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

, DISPLAY-RACK. 1

To all whom it may concern:

- Be i known that I, WALTER LUTz,a citizen of' the United States, residing at KnoX-' 'ville, Park City, in thecounty of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Display-Racks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawmg. a I

'- My improvement relates particularly to displa yracks'to' be used for displaying. various articles and commodities including The object of the invention is to provide such a structurein a form which is-snnple age'and crating fol-shipment. IIn'the'accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side'elevation' of; a" structure Fig. 2 is a front elevation;

I Fig; 3 is a section'on the line, 3'3, of

Fig. 4 is a section on the line, 4.'4, of Fig. 2, looking toward the right;

'- Fig. 5 shows the rack folded, the viewbeing in the same'direction asin Fig. 1.

, Referring to said drawings, 1, 1, are two frontstandards, and 2; 2, are a pair of rear standardsf' One ofeach of said standards is p1aced'at each end of the structure with one endresting on'the floor while its upper endoverlaps the adjacent standard, the 35,

upper ends of the standards, 1, being placed between the upper ends of thesta'ndards, 2. The overlapping ends, of the standards are joined to each other-by horizontal pintles,

13', which may be rivets or screws or bolts. A

horizontal bar, 4, has its ends'secured to the "forward faces-ofthe standards,2, near the f lowerends of said standards. Said bar constitutesa stay for the lower portions'of said standards. At each-end of the "structure -a stay bar, ,5, is secured to the outer face of l the forward standard, near the lower end of the latter, by means of a pintle, 6, which may be a pin, screw, or bolt. The opposite end of each stay bar has in its upper edge a notch, 7, adapted to receive the lower edge 'ofthe bar, 4;]The two rear standards, 2,

and the bar, 4, together constitute'the rear support of the structure." 1 I Between the front standards, .1, 1, are

threeshelves, 8, having downward directed end piec'es,"9: )A screw or bolt, 10, extends Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17, 1916. Serial No. 109,755.

end pieces, 9,

Patented Dec, 3,1918.

through each end piece into or through the adjacent-standard to form a hinge whereby the'shelf'may turn onisaid standards.

Rea'rward of and parallel to each front standard is a link bar, 11. A screw or bolt,

12, extends through each end piece, 9, into or through the adjacent link bar, 11. Each link bar, 11, extends below the stay bar, 5,

and is coupled thereto by a screw: or bolt, 13.

Oblique brace bars, '14, cross each other-at the rear of the link bars, and-have their ends lapping over and secured'to" the "rear faces of the link bars by nailing or otherwise.

Each front standard and the adjacent link bar,'11, and the adjacent endpieces, 9, of the shelves, 8, are adapted tothe movement similarv to the movement of a parallelv ruler, "said" standard and link bar corresponding to the bars of said ruleryand the corresponding to the links of the ruler.

Thebolts,"10, by'which the end pieces, 9,

are secured to the standards, 1, are placed rearward far enough to bring a preponderance of the shelf load forward of'said bolts, whereby the load tends to rotate the shelf, the forward portion going down and the rear portion going up. Such tendency 'to upward movement of the rear portions of the shelves tendsto lift the link bars, 11, and

the upward strain on said bars places-up.-

ward strain'on the stay bars, 5,whereby the rear ends of said bars press upwardagainst the horizontal bar, 4, and keep said bar engaged in the notches, 7 in the stay bars, 5.

In this manner the lower ends of the stand 1 ards, 1 and 2, are firmly heldin position.

The diagonal brace bars, 14, hold'the struc- 'ture against lateral swaying. The forward end of eachstay bar, 5, is extended upward,"

and the pintle, 6, penetrates said extension.

Saidextension facilities folding, as will'be next described. Furthermore, to facilitate such folding, the bolts, '12, penetrate the of'the bolts, 10.

For. folding, the forward edges of the shelves are first raised sufiiciently 'to allow the stay bars, 5, to descend at their rear ends end pieces, 9, at 'alower level than the level sufiiciently to disengage the bar, 4, from the notches, 7, of the bar, 5. If thebars, 5, are

suflici ently elastic, their rear ends may be presseddownwarduntil the; bar, 4, and' 'the lower. ends of the rear standards, 2,can be d moved rearward. When the bar, 4, and the stay b'ars, 5", have thus been released'from each other,the shelves may be rotated to put I them and the standards, 1, thelink bars, 11',

and the stay bars, 5, through a parallelruler movement, until the shelves are in a common plane and the front faces ofthe link kbars, -11, lie against the rear faces of the adjacent front standards, 1, and each stay bar, 5,.1ies lengthwise against the outer face of the adj acent ,link bar, 11. This, completes the ofolding of these parts. The rear standar'ds, 2-, are then turned rearward upward and forward across the other portions of the structure and downward on the. hinge formed the pintles, 3, until each bar, 2,

rests nponthenouter face of thevadjacent front bar, 1, and has what is normally its {rear face flush with the front; face of the adjacent front standard, I, "The bar, 4,'is soijoined upon the bars,12,' as to enter the space betweentwo shelves, 8, whenthe structure has beenfolded.

' .It will now be seen that the upward eX- tension on the forwardendof the staybars,

5, permits said barsto lie rearward of the front standards, when the structure is folded, and leave roomfor the rear standards to overlap the front standards forward ,of; the stay bars, 5, when the structure has p i I, p

placing the bolts, 10 andl2, at different ele- W e filOOVBrClGSCIlbQCl movements are reversed n order and dlrection.

been folded. It will alsonow be seen that ,vations in the end pieces,,9 permits the fold- ;ing of the shelves into a plane which is parallel to the front standards and the link bars while the latter lie against" Said standa qlsthestructure to be nnfolded, the

It; is to be noted that the structure rests only on the lower ends of the front stand- 1 ,ards-and the rear standards andgnot on the link bars,,1 1, the function of the latter being only to cooperate in controlling the shelf and the stay bars, 5; I claim'as my invention,

a 1.5 In astructure of the nature, descniloed,

' the." combination of front standards and a rear support, the standards being hinged tovthe'fsupportj at their upper ends, stay bars fconpledbyjtheir forwardends to the lower ,portions of the front standards and having their frear ends' adapted to enter into operf a'tive relation with the lower portions of the rear snpport for staying the'latter, shelves located between said frontstandards and ghinged thereto, and link-bars, located rearward of vthefrontstandards and hinged to 'saidgshelvesand to said stay bars, substane0 tially as described I "2. 1m alstructure of the naturefdescr-ibed,

the combination of front standards and rear standard-s 'hinged to each other attheirirP-v "per" ends, a"horizontal bar connectingsaid ;.r a:; ra ads s a 19 111 6 yhei tially as; described.

forward ends to the; lower portions of the front standards and having their rear ends adaptedtorenter into operative relation with the horizontal bar, shelves located between. said-front standards and hinged thereto, and

link bars located rearward of the front sta'ndar'ds'and hinged to said shelves' 'an'd to said-stay bars, substantially as described- 3. In a structure of the nature described,

the combination of front standardsand rear standards hinged to .eachother, at their up-- Jper ends, a horizontal bar connecting said rear standards, stay bars coupled by their forward ends to the lower portions of ihe front'standards and having their rearv ends notched to receive said ;;horizontal' bar,

shelves located between said front standards and hinged thereto, and link bars located rearward ofthe front standards and hinged I il y sdse i bedto said shelves andg to said-staybars, sub- 4. In a structure of the naturejdeseribed,

the combination offront standards and a rear support; the standards being hinged to the support at their upper ends, -said ,rear

support comprising, a pair of standards and a horizontal bar connecting said rear 1 standards at a proper height to-fold .between two ends to the loWerwportions Qf: theqfront standards and havingtheir-rear ends adapt- .shelves,,stay bars coupled by their forward-,

ed to enterinto operative relationiwith the rear support for staying the latter, shelves located between said: front standards" and;r;

hinged thereto, and link bars. located rearward ofthejfront standards andhing'ed to said shelves and to .stay v] oars, substan 5. In a structure of the natureldescribed the combination, of front istandardsz and a rear support, the standardsbeing fhingedgto the rear support eat their; upperends and said sup ort comprising a pair ofstandards said rear support folding by upward and forward and downwardmoyernent, stay .b'ars coupled vby their 1 forward ends tothelo'wer portions of the front standards and havingand a member connecting said standards and their rear-ends adapted to enterT'intooper-i;

I 6. In a structure ofthe nature described, the eombinationjnoffront; standards and a rear support, the standardsbeing hinged to the supportat their ripper ends,- shelves located between said frontfstandards and hi ed t eret stay bats. op ra e ai w e she es. 05 8 36: eng ment 'Wht r arsuppprttastay h latter; when there is downward pressure on the forward portions of said shelves, substantially as rear support, the standards being hinged to the support at their upper ends, shelves located between said front standards and hinged thereto, link bars located rearward of-the front standards and'hinged to said shelves, stay bars coupled by their forward ends to the lower portions of the front standards and to said link bars whereby downward pressure on the forward'portions of said shelves tends to raise the rear portions of said stay bars, and said staybars havlng their rear ends adapted to enter, by upward movement, into operative relation with the rear support for staying the latter, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of July, in the year one thousand nine hundred and sixteen.

WALTER LUTZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. 0. 

